


I'm A Spark And You're A Boom

by itreads



Category: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 05:09:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5954776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itreads/pseuds/itreads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baz is his usual self (smug, tall, dark, hopelessly in love with Simon)<br/>Penelope is her usual self (clever, strong, protective over Simon)<br/>Simon is his usual self (loyal, addicted to sour cherry scones, kind of idiotic in a patriotic way)</p><p>And then their dorm room catches fire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm A Spark And You're A Boom

**Author's Note:**

> not beta'd (???) so all mistakes are mine :)

_**Simon** _

 

The dorm building is on fire. Literally on fire. Smoke is billowing out of a window on the top floor. I can see orange flickers coming from inside the room.

 

Most people are outside - it's a beautiful day; the sun is high and the clouds are nowhere to be seen. Everyone is milling about on the lawn, chatting in their friend groups, shielding their eyes from the golden light blazing down from above. I'm sitting on Penny's coat along with her and Agatha (Penny is adamant that we stay friends, even though we broke up). At least, I was, until someone screamed and pointed up towards the centre top of the dorm block. Now Penny and I, along with the rest of the school, are standing at the edge of the grass, wondering what's going to happen next.

 

Penny says my name, and at first, I don't hear her over the screams and shouts of thousands of teens. Exasperated, she pulls my shoulder down. I'm taken unawares so I nearly fall over, but i manage to catch my balance at the last moment.

 

" _Simon_ ," she hisses. "Isn't that your room?"

 

"What?" I say. Of course it's not my room. My room is...

 

On the top floor. Centre front. With a window overlooking the great lawn.

 

"Fuck." I look down at her (she really is very short). Then again, louder this time; "Fuck! Fucking hell, Penny, what if Baz is in there? He was there half an hour ago. I saw him! I-"

 

"Simon Snow, I forbid you to go into a burning building to rescue your-" At that moment, the screams become so loud that I can't hear the rest of her sentence. It doesn't matter. Baz is in our room. I'm sure of it. I've already started moving.

 

Penny grabs my arm, but she is too weak: I slip away easily.

 

"Simon!" she yells, frantic. "Simon, Baz is-" I don't hear what she says. I'm too far away. I've got to save Baz. I can't let him die like this, not when he's so afraid of burning...

 

_**Baz** _

 

Our dorm room is on fire, but I don't really mind. (Fire would not have been my first choice, but still.) My family has enough money to replace all of our things. Maybe we might get a new room, at least temporarily. One that doesn't smell faintly of cinnamon and sour cherry scones. One that doesn't constantly smell of _him_.

 

Penelope Bunce is running towards me. What does she want this time? Last time she looked this distressed, she'd just found out I'd got higher grades than her in every subject. That was our first year, though; surely by now she's used to the fact she'll always be second best?

 

_**Penelope** _

 

Simon is a fucking idiot. One day, he is going to get himself killed. Even if he doesn't, I'll be at the front of the line to do him in, second only to Baz. (Correlation: neither of us would actually be able to do it.)

 

Talking of Baz, he's currently standing with his minions, looking rather smug. Crowley knows why - his dormitory is burning to a crisp.

 

I stomp up to him, the crowd in front of me parting like the red sea, shouting, "Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch, I do not give a single fuck how many grudges you hold against Simon, if you know what's good for you, you will go into that building after him and _save his fucking ass_ because that is exactly what he thinks he's doing now, saving you, I mean, and we both know that you'll never forgive yourself if he dies when you could have saved him-"

 

"Woah, Bunce, slow down. All I heard was "Grudges, Simon, fucking ass, Simon. Say it all again. Slowly. From the beginning."

 

"Simon. Thinks. You. Are. In. That. Building. Do I make myself clear?"

 

He doesn't need to answer. The look on his face says it all.

 

_**Simon** _

 

" _Baz!_ "

 

He's not answering. This can't be a good sign.

 

"Baz!" I yell again. I'm two floors away, still running, but sound carries - surely he should be able to hear me?

 

I get to the top floor. Our door is closed, but there are waves of grey clouds rolling from underneath it. It stinks of burning plastic and over-done toast. I keep going, fighting though the thick smoke, coughing and spluttering already. I try to call out again, but my throat is all dry and rough - it hurts so bad. I swallow, then cringe. That hurts too.

 

Then I hear it, as I put my hand on the door handle and try to open the door. I hear him. Thin and far away, but him. Saying my name.

 

"Simon!"

 

He sounds afraid. Of course he does. He hates fire. It killed his mother. Of course he would.

 

"Simon!" It sounds like he's getting closer, but that's impossible - our room isn't that big. I must be hallucinating. Doesn't that sometimes happen when you breathe in smoke?

 

I feel kind of calm. I don't know why. My vision has gone black around the edges. It feels like I'm looking at everything through binoculars. I hear my name, so close but so far away, my hand is stuck to the door handle - why is that happening? I hear footsteps too, more than one person, and the binoculars are zooming out and everything is getting smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and then there's just nothing.

 

_**Baz** _

 

I was ten feet away. _Ten feet._ At the most.

 

He crumpled to the ground like a sack of flour. A flexible sack of flour. His feet are now underneath his body. Somebody's howling but it can't be me; it's far away and I'm close, so close to Simon, holding his blistered hand and feeling the faint pump of blood in his wrist that tells me _he's alive._ I suddenly can't breathe - I don't know if it's the smoke or the tears - but I don't care, because Simon Snow is alive.

 

After a while, I realise someone is saying my name. I can only hear it because the howling has stopped.

 

"Basilton, stand up. It's alright, we can take care of Simon, but we need to get you out of here and into sickbay. That's it, dear. All right now."

 

Her voice is soft and soothing and muffled by the wet cloth she's holding over her face. It's Miss Possibelf. She's got her hand around my waist. I have to lean on her for support. I can't walk. Everything hurts.

 

I don't notice where we're going, but then we're in sickbay and the air is clear and I'm throwing up in a fucking bin in front of about five of my school teachers. If I wasn't aching so much, this would be the most embarrassing thing I've ever done. I turn round and see the Mage himself carrying Simon Snow's limp body and placing it on the bed nearest the door. It looks far too much like he's dead. The tears are threatening to spill over again, and I don't even know how I'm able to cry because I feel so dry everywhere.

 

As if reading my mind, the school nurse hands me a plastic cup filled with water. I down it in two gulps, then throw it up again in the same bin. She hands me another one without a word, and this time, I sip it slowly. Its coolness takes away some of the burning sensation in my throat and stomach.

 

Exhausted, I let Miss Possibelf guide me to the bed next to Simon's. Surprising myself, I fall asleep almost as soon as my head touches the pillow.

 

_**Simon** _

 

I wake up on what feels strangely like a hospital bed. Scrap that, it is a hospital bed. I'm in sickbay. I have a bandage wrapped around my right hand. Baz is looking at me from the bed next to mine.

 

As soon as he sees I'm awake, he jumps up and runs over. I've never seen someone look so stressed and relieved at the same time.

 

"You're awake." That's the first thing he says, so I figure I've been out for a while. "I should probably go tell Bunce."

 

"Don't," I croak, but I don't think he hears it because it comes out as barely more than a whisper. My throat is incredibly dry and sore - it feels all closed up and small, too. I also now notice that I am very, very hungry.

 

"Three days," he says softly. He's talking more to himself than to me (I would know - I've been living with him for seven years, and trust me, he talks to himself a lot).

 

"Oh, I forgot," he says, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile. "Here." He hands me a plate piled high with buttered sour cherry scones. My favourite.

 

I offer one to him, but he refuses. (I'm secretly delighted - I was hoping to have them all to myself.)

 

I'm halfway through my fifth when I find my voice. "So," I say, through a mouthful of food. "What made you decide to stop hating me and become my maid, then?"

 

"'Hating you'?" Penny says disbelievingly, smirking, from the other side of the room. I hadn't heard her come in, and obviously, neither had Baz. He scowls at her.

 

"I always knew you were and idiot, Simon, but you're not thick, and you're actually quite perceptive. Usually."

 

"Shut up, Bunce," Baz says from his station beside my bed, but I can tell his heart's not really in it. Penny's still smirking on the other side of the room.

 

"I was going to see how you're doing, but it seems you've already got company. I'll catch you later, Simon."

 

"No, you can stay! I don't mind!" I protest, but she's already closed the door behind her.

 

"What was that about?" I ask Baz, but he won't make eye contact. He has red blotches on his cheeks.

 

Suddenly, (although I'm not too sure it _is_ sudden) I notice Baz. I mean, I really _notice_ him. He's standing there, tall and dark, and his hair's swaying gently in the breeze like a fucking fairytale hero (or bad guy - I'm not sure which). I put the empty plate down on the bed next to me, and try to get off the bed, not even noticing the pain shooting up my arm.

 

I now have a fair idea as to why Penny left us alone.

 

**_Baz_ **

 

Simon is beautiful. Idiotic and slow, but beautiful all the same. Like the sun. Like fire. Beautiful, and deadly. I really, really want to kiss him.

 

I hear the bed creak and turn round to look at him, but then I can't because he's kissing me, like full on-the-lips _kissing me,_ and he tastes like sour cherry scones, so I close my eyes and let him kiss me. He seems like a very good kisser. I don't have much to go by, but I am kissing Simon Snow and he is kissing me and he could be the worst kisser ever but it would be fine because he is I've wanted to do this since fifth year.

 

He pushes his lips onto mine, and I push back because it seems like the right thing to do. I feel properly happy for the first time in twelve years because I know two things for sure.

 

Simon Snow is _alive_. And I am hopelessly in love with him.

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of want this to be part of a bigger story. Who knows if I'll get round to writing it.


End file.
